The current cargo aircraft design limits the amount of cargo an air lifter can carry because there is presently no way to utilize the ‘unused’ space above the cargo secured to the aircraft floor during transport (for a C-17 this ‘unused’ space equates to over 32,000 cu ft).
The cargo is typically loaded on standard 463 L cargo pallets in the C-17 and the loaded pallets occupy only about 8,222 cu ft for about 18 pallet positions. If more pallets could be loaded into the C-17, the cargo carrying ability of such aircraft would be dramatically increased within its airlifting capability and the number of such aircraft required for deployment of equipment greatly reduced. This would free up a significant number of transport aircraft to meet other mission or commercial demands.
Prior art references have been reviewed such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,163 to Coats (1998) which discloses upper platforms balanced on jacks, which jacks clamp on a lower frame, but no references have been found which suggest a stable assembly to solve the above inefficient cargo airlifting system.
Accordingly there is need and market for an improved cargo airlift system, (which employs a greater percentage of aircraft interior space), that overcomes the above prior art shortcomings.
There has now been discovered a shipping system which greatly increases the amount of cargo that can be airlifted in previously underutilized cargo aircraft, such as the C-17.